The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Su Mu neither lowered his gun nor spoke. He simply stared at the man who called himself Li Shichu, his gaze as calm as if he were looking at a wall.

Li Shichu's gaze swept over Su Mu, then around again, finally settling on Lin Xiaohe behind Su Mu. His eyes lit up... not the kind of light you get when you see a beautiful woman, but the kind of light you get when you see something "of value".

Lin Xiaohe carried a submachine gun on her back. The MP5 player was hanging on her shoulder, its black paint standing out against the gray street.

Li Shichu's gaze lingered on Lin Xiaohe's gun for two seconds before shifting back to Su Mu.

This time, he looked more closely... Su Mu only had a long spear in his hand, a cold weapon. His clothes were covered in dust and bloodstains, and there was nothing particularly special about them.

He had a pistol tucked into his waistband, but it was mostly hidden by his coat and could hardly be noticed unless you looked closely.

Li Shichu quickly completed his assessment: the man with the long spear was most likely the woman's teammate.

The real decision-maker should be the woman carrying the submachine gun.

After all, in this world, firearms are far more valuable than melee weapons. Anyone who can carry a submachine gun must either be powerful, have resources, or both.

"Madam," Li Shichu turned to Lin Xiaohe, his smile widening, "may I ask your name?"

Lin Xiaohe glanced at Su Mu.

Su Mu neither looked at her nor spoke. His gaze was fixed on Li Shichu, as if he were observing something, or perhaps he wasn't looking at anything at all.

Lin Xiaohe took a deep breath. She understood what Su Mu meant... He didn't intend to get involved; he would leave these miscellaneous matters to her.

"Lin Xiaohe," she said, her voice soft but steady.

"Ms. Lin, it's a pleasure to meet you." Li Shichu bowed slightly, making a very gentlemanly gesture, but it seemed somewhat out of place against the backdrop of the ruins. "Our Salvation Guild operates in this area, and our main task is to search for survivors and help everyone find a safe place."

"I see you two are outnumbered and outmatched. Would you consider joining our guild?"

Lin Xiaohe did not answer immediately.

Li Shichu continued, speaking at a measured pace, as if reciting a memorized text: "Our Salvation Guild has over six hundred members, making us the largest survivor organization across all the cables. We have safe zones, food reserves, and weapons and equipment. Join us, and you won't have to live in the open anymore, constantly fearing the elements."

More than six hundred people. Su Mu's brow twitched slightly.

"What are the conditions?" Su Mu asked.

Li Shichu's smile remained unchanged, but his tone carried a hint of business: "Joining a guild requires signing a contract. The contract is simple...you will hand over half of your current and future resources to the guild as operating expenses for the safe zone and as a reward for your protection."

Su Mu frowned. Half of the supplies: the existing half, and the future half.

"These are the conditions for joining," Li Shichu added. "You don't have to join, but we can't provide shelter. It's too dangerous out there, for the two of you..."

"We refuse," Su Mu said calmly.

Li Shichu's smile froze for a moment. He hadn't expected the other party to refuse so decisively.

An organization of six hundred people, a safe zone, food reserves... these were more than enough incentives in his eyes. After all, in the apocalypse, what could be more important than "survival"?

"Ms. Lin, you may not have heard me clearly..." he tried to explain again.

"I understand." Lin Xiaohe had already grasped Su Mu's thoughts and naturally interrupted him. "Half of the supplies, including those for the future. So I refuse."

Li Shichu's smile vanished completely. His face darkened, and his naturally smiling features became somewhat ferocious at that moment. He stared at Lin Xiaohe, his eyes conveying a sense of utter disrespect.

"Do you know what you're refusing?" His voice turned cold. "Without our protection, you won't survive in this city..."

"The contract you just mentioned," Su Mu's voice suddenly rang out, unhurried, as if asking a very ordinary question, "was it a paper document?"

Li Shichu turned to look at Su Mu. The man, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, surprising him. He frowned, his tone impatient: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Su Mu's tone remained calm, "what makes you think that signing a contract will make others obediently hand over half of their supplies? Based on your fists? Or does this piece of paper have some special effect?"

Li Shichu stared at Su Mu for two seconds, then smiled. It wasn't the practiced, standard smile he usually wore, but a smile tinged with smugness. "Brother, you're quite cautious. But you're right... our contract isn't just ordinary paper."

He paused, as if waiting for Su Mu to ask further questions. But Su Mu didn't press him, only looking at him. Li Shichu had no choice but to continue himself: "We have a special talent in our guild. The contracts he creates are legally binding. Once you sign and affix your fingerprint to one, you absolutely cannot break it. If you do, you will suffer severe backlash... at best, your attributes will be permanently reduced, at worst, you will die on the spot."

Su Mu raised his eyebrows slightly.

A contract. This was the first time he had ever heard of such an ability.

It's not talent, but more like the product of a certain profession or special ability. If such a thing really exists, then the expansion speed of this "Savior Guild" will be terrifying... binding people with contracts, forcing them to hand over resources, then using these resources to cultivate more powerful individuals, and then using these powerful individuals to force even more people to sign contracts.

This is a snowball effect.

"How about it?" Li Shichu's tone regained some confidence. "It's not too late to think about it now."

"No need," Su Mu said.

Li Shichu's face darkened completely.

He stared at Su Mu, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something harsh, but ultimately he didn't. He took a deep breath and pulled a palm-sized device from his pocket. It looked a bit like glasses, but the lenses were jet black, with fine, flowing patterns on the surface.

He held the instrument up to his eyes and aimed it at Lin Xiaohe.